Sheldon stared ahead with wide, trembling eyes.
A large shard of the shattered door lay buried in the floor just inches from his face, soaked in blood and splinters. For a moment, he thought he had died. Thought he'd already gone to meet Satan.
Then he realized he was still breathing—and immediately regretted it.
From the ruins of the doorway, a figure stepped forward.
A woman.
Tall, imposing, dressed in a jet-black suit that clung to her like armor. A sharp V-shaped mask obscured her face, but even hidden, her presence demanded reverence. Her aura whispered one truth to everyone in the room:
Death had entered.
"Who are you?" asked Thunberg, his voice colder and heavier than before.
Sheldon's heart skipped a beat. He looked from Thunberg to the woman. Even without seeing her face, he knew—this was no ordinary person. The sheer aura she exuded sent a chill through his bones. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel it deep in his gut.
She's beautiful, he thought irrationally, even as fear choked him.
But how could someone who looked like that cause so much destruction?
He didn't understand.
Thunberg did.
The man's expression tightened. He was a veteran of many wars—some human, others far beyond that. He knew power when he felt it.
And the power radiating from the woman before him was overwhelming.
"You're not normal," Thunberg muttered.
Bella tilted her head, amused.
"Can you smell the stench from three kilometers away, Blood Clan?" she asked casually, as if commenting on the weather. "You should be stronger than the others."
The last part was spoken almost to herself.
Neither Thunberg nor Sheldon understood the reference. But they both felt the shift.
The air grew heavy.
And then, the flames of every candle in the room flared—red and violent.
The Death God had truly arrived.
BOOM!
Bella moved first.
She had no intention of sparing anyone. Killing gangsters was easy. Killing vampires—Blood Clan—would be the real thrill.
With an explosive burst of force, the ground beneath her cracked. She surged forward, a black streak slicing through the air. Her attack was aimed directly at Thunberg, a blur of violence and precision.
Bookshelves exploded from the pressure wave. Paintings tore from the walls. Antique tapestries ignited in the aftershock.
But just before the strike landed—
ROAR!
A monstrous snarl ripped through the air. Bella's eyes narrowed. She skidded to a halt, slamming her foot down for balance. Then, with a graceful pivot, she spun, raising her leg high into a sweeping roundhouse kick.
CRACK!
The vampire that had regenerated from earlier—the one impaled by the door shards—had risen in silence and lunged.
It was a mistake.
Bella's heel met its skull mid-air. Bone shattered. Blood exploded like a geyser across the study walls. The creature's corpse slammed into a support beam and slid to the floor.
One strike. One kill.
Sheldon's heart stopped.
That was a vampire… And she killed it like swatting a fly?!
Blood Clan were monsters in myth—beings who ignored human weapons and shrugged off gunfire. But in front of her, they were just meat.
He felt a cold sweat down his back and turned slightly, eyeing a concealed exit.
Maybe—maybe—he could still survive this.
SWISH!
A flash of movement.
A wooden splinter, sharp as a dagger, streaked through the air and embedded itself in his throat before he could take another step.
"Ho... ho…" Sheldon gasped, clutching his bleeding neck.
His thoughts blurred with regret and desperation. He had sold his soul to the Blood Clan for power, for immortality. In the end, it bought him nothing but a quick death.
Plop!
His body crumpled to the floor.
Bella turned her attention back to Thunberg.
Only two remained.
"You should've stayed quiet," she said, voice cool and composed.
Thunberg didn't respond. His sharp instincts screamed at him to run. Everything about this woman was wrong—her speed, her power, her presence.
"Who are you?" he asked again, voice tightening. He couldn't help it. She terrified him.
Bella gave a faint smile.
"You were just unlucky. I only came for him," she nodded at the now-dead Sheldon.
Thunberg's face darkened.
Damn you, Sheldon…
He had no idea what kind of monster Sheldon had angered.
But he knew this was a losing battle.
Bella took a step forward, her voice almost playful.
"Which faction are you from, Blood Clan?"
Thunberg's eyes widened.
She knew. She knew what he was.
"You're not part of the supernatural world?"
Bella didn't answer.
She only looked at him, and in her gaze, there was something else.
Curiosity. Maybe admiration.
He was handsome, she had to admit. For a Blood Clan member, he carried himself with nobility and a sort of timeless charm.
But she wasn't here to flirt.
She was here to kill.
Without warning, Bella slammed her foot down.
BOOM!
The floor cracked again as she vanished.
Thunberg growled, his body reacting instinctively. His eyes turned scarlet. Fangs extended. Black mist exploded from his skin, flooding the room in an unnatural darkness.
The domain of the Blood Clan: the night.
Bella paused, one hand raised.
Darkness?
It didn't matter.
She didn't need light.
Her enhanced intuition—her D+ instinct—guided her.
Thunberg made a break for it, dashing toward the window. Less than two meters away. He could escape. He was fast. He was a predator in the dark. If he could just—
CRACK!
A sound like a sonic boom filled his ears.
Too late.
He barely turned before pain shattered his mind.
Bella had moved. With full force. With magic-enhanced strength.
Her strike didn't just hit him.
It flattened him.
BOOM!
The study exploded inwards. Furniture, books, statues—everything disintegrated. The floor caved in. Dust filled the air like a warzone. The ceiling collapsed. Marble cracked.
The luxurious manor now had a crater where the study used to be.
And in that pit, Thunberg lay crushed and broken.
ROAR!!!
His scream was agony and disbelief all at once.
"Why?!"
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a majestic beam of golden light erupted from the ruins, piercing the dark sky. Like a divine sword, it lit up the heavens and obliterated the last remains of the Blood Clan stronghold.
The entire manor vanished in the radiance.
The golden beam soared into the clouds, illuminating the night across Fox Town.
It was a light no one could ignore.
It awakened everyone.
And marked the arrival of something new.
Something terrifying.
Something divine.